Emperor Renzong of Yuan, Ayurbarwada

Timeline

1. 1311–1312Dadu · BeijingAfter Wuzong's death, Renzong ascended the throne in April 1311 under the brother-to-brother succession agreement, adopting the era name Huangqing. He executed Wuzong's favorites Sanbaonu, Tuotuo, and Yuezuchi, abolished the Department of State Affairs, halted the Zhida silver notes, cut redundant officials, and reformed the court, reversing the fiscal decline since Chengzong and Wuzong.
2. 1313–1314Dadu · BeijingIn 1313 Renzong decreed the restoration of the imperial examinations, selecting 300 candidates based on Confucian classics such as the Classic of Filial Piety and Mencius, with separate examinations for Mongols, Semu, Han, and Southerners. This ended the suspension since the Dade era and marked a major turning point in Yuan Confucian governance.
3. 1316Dadu · BeijingAt the urging of his mother Daji, Renzong designated his eldest son Shidebala as crown prince in the twelfth month of the third Yanyou year, granting him the golden seal, establishing his household and officials, and ordering all offices to report to the crown prince first. This broke Wuzong's agreement of succession to the younger brother and laid the groundwork for Yingzong's later accession.
4. 1314–1320Dadu · BeijingDuring the Yanyou era Renzong promulgated the Comprehensive Statutes of the Great Yuan, promoted Confucian governance, and curbed the arrogance of the princes, keeping the political situation relatively stable. Though he at times dismissed Chancellor Tuotuo under pressure from Empress Dowager Daji, he generally maintained the Han-style bureaucratic system. He died at Guanghan Hall in Dadu in the first month of 1320, aged thirty-five.